While the Chinese customs authority itself initiated nearly all confiscations (98%) in 2014 (cf. our German-language report), this number was significantly lower in the following year at 65%. Instead of only acting on their own information, customs officials increasingly took action after receiving direct tips from brand owners. This may signify that businesses must increasingly cooperate with customs authorities to assert their intellectual property rights and protect their products and brands.
The numerous confiscated shipments in the last year included some 20,000 mailed packages, 2.7% more than in 2014. With around 84% of all shipments, small postal shipments also constituted the majority of confiscations in 2015. Next to mail, ship cargo containers were the second most important means of transportation for counterfeiters.
The most frequently confiscated counterfeit items in 2015 included cosmetics, tobacco products, machines, clothing, and shoes. The customs authorities registered a reduction in confiscated counterfeits of food and beverages, other products of light industry, memory devices, and other electrical devices.
In general, the statistics of the Chinese customs authority show that – as in the year before – most of the confiscated goods were destined for export, and that international online trade proved particularly problematic for the Chinese officials. This alone is reason enough for Western manufacturers to cooperate with Chinese customs, for example by offering targeted training and reporting concrete evidence of counterfeiting.
